Missing Suitcase Before an Event | Busy Girl’s Guide

If you’re reading this, you might be in that situation yourself right this moment – so if your suitcase is missing and you have something important coming up, I’m very sorry!

I’ve been there recently myself: I was flying to be the presenter at a 2-day conference and my suitcase decided to hang out in London for one extra day. I have made a vlog about it on my YouTube channel and decided to make this blog post for anyone having the same issue. I’m leaving the video at the bottom of the post if you’re interested, but right now let’s go through some steps I’d recommend for you to take right now:

1. First of all, don’t panic – you got this

I know it seems like the world is against you right now, but you will be fine in the end, I promise. Plus we need you to be able to think straight so stop visualising the worst case scenario and start acting.

2. Check if the airline will reimburse you for all of the essentials

Some airlines might tell you about that at the desk where you felt very lost while filling out your missing bag paperwork. Or you can also check their website for policies/call their help line.

If they do, make sure to keep all of the relevant receipts for that! And don’t forget to file your claim as soon as you can after the trip – in my case I had to do that within 30 days of my suitcase being lost!

3. Write a list of all of the different event functions where you need a different outfit

Is there a formal dinner after the event? A sports engagement?

Make a list of all of the absolutely essential outfit changes based on the functions/events you’re going to. Be very honest and rational here though, maybe you can wear the same dress to the conference and to the formal dinner? Maybe you could spice it up with evening makeup or accessories or maybe you can dress it down for something casual.

Photo by STIL on Unsplash

4. Look through what you’re working with and make a list of all of the essentials missing

Did you bring a toothbrush? A hairbrush? What do you have and what do you absolutely need? Think of general hygiene stuff first.

Then move on to your clothes and shoes: could you wear some of that (e.g. your jeans) to some of the events? What about your shoes? Reusing your own stuff and buying complementary items will make things a little easier.

Make a list of all of the essentials that you still need, including the absolute musts when it comes to clothing. I’ll get to make up and all of the other beauty stuff later on.

Pro tip: dresses and jumpsuits are great for eliminating have to buy two pieces!

And shoes: if you need to, try to get 1 comfortable pair of shoes that would fit everything.

5. Things that can be washed: underwear and socks

If you’ve added these guys to your essentials list, feel free to cross these out – because you can definitely wash those things for a few nights.

The easiest way to do that is in the sink by hand. To dry your items, squeeze them out by hand first and then roll them up in a dry towel (one by one) and squeeze the towel roll as hard as you can. Repeat multiple times and then leave them hanging overnight.

Maybe don’t wash your bras as they might not dry out as quickly and they might not enjoy the towel thing. Plus let’s be honest here, you don’t wash your bras this often (I don’t for sure! haha)

6. And finally, beauty stuff

When it comes to makeup, pharmacies are your best friends. They normally have cheaper versions of all the stuff you may need!

Try to minimise the amount of stuff you need to get: remember, your nice makeup is going to arrive soon. My normal hack is using eyeshadow for multiple things, from eyes (obviously) to eyebrows to cheeks. And of course, get neutral pallets if you can!

Another option is to get your hair and/or makeup done professionally – it might be cheaper than buying new stuff. But I don’t know if airlines reimburse that, check with them.

7. Stay your confident and badass self

Even if you can’t make all of this happen and you have to attend the event in your jeans and t-shirt – own it! Suitcases go missing all the time and people at the event will definitely empathize with your situation. Remember: you’re at this event because of who you are and not because of what you wear/how your hair looks!

Alright, and now that you are not as stressed, here’s my vlog from my trip to Beirut where my suitcase got lost before a conference where I was going to be the presenter: